Portable apparatus for cleaning industrial parts



H. A. ROWAN Nov. 8, 1960 PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING INDUSTRIAL PARTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 1, 1958 ----.--------rfi+l Nov. 8, 1960 H. A. ROWAN 2,959,178

PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING INDUSTRIAL PARTS Filed Dec. 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR /0 I HENRY 4. Pan/,4

TTORNEYS BY I United States Patent PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING INDUSTRIAL PARTS Henry A. Rowan, Plainfield, N.J., ass'gnor to Magnus Chemical Company, Inc., Garwood, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed. Dec. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 777,247

'8 Claims. c1.134-141 The present invention relates to apparatus for'cleaning industrial parts and relates, more particularly, to portable apparatus for cleaning industrial parts which can be readily transported as a unit and installed for operation on existing tanks.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for cleaning industrial parts of the type described and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,857,- 923 which issued on October 28, 1957 to Marcel J. Zinty for Vertically Reciprocating Washing Apparatus Operated by Compressed Air which can be readily transported as a unit and installed for operation on existing tanks or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent and best understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of cleaning apparatus embodying the invention installed on a tank;

Fig. 2 is a section view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a section view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are side views in partial section diagrammatically illustrating modifications in the cleaning apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is a tank 10 which may be an oil drum or other suitable container for holding a supply of a suitable cleaning solution or solvent in liquid form.

Washing apparatus, indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, is located on the outside of the tank and is detachably supported on the side walls of the tank. As shown best in Fig. 3, the washing apparatus includes a vertically extending cylinder 12 having an inlet port 13 at its lower end which is connected to a source of compressed air (not shown).

A piston 14 which is vertically reciprocable in the cylinder is also located at the lower end of the cylinder where it is acted upon by compressed air entering the inlet port. At a point spaced above the piston by a suitable distance, there is an outlet port 15 in the side Wall of the cylinder and when the piston travels above this point, air entering the cylinder through the inlet port is permitted to exhaust through the outlet port. Under operating conditions, the piston will be reciprocated vertically in the cylinder with great rapidity so as to impart" the desired agitating movement toother parts of the washing apparatus. 7

This manner of operating the piston and the structure involved is fully described and claimed in the Patent No. 2,857,923 referred to above and forms no part of the present invention' However, reference may be made to said patent for further details with regard to the manner in which the piston is reciprocated in the cylinder.

The piston is connected to a piston rod 16 which extends upwardly through the cylinder to a point above the top of the tank and is centered in the cylinder by a tank.

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guide ring 17. The upper end of the piston rod carries a combined guide bracket and supporting plate 18.

As shown best in Fig. 2, the guide bracket and supporting plate 18 includes a collar or sleeve portion 19 which surrounds and engages with the top of the piston rod. An arm or web 20 which extends through a vertical slot 21 in the side wall of the cylinder facing the tank connects the portion of the bracket which engages with the sleeve piston rod to a plate-like portion 22 which is located on the outside of the cylinder and extends toward the tank. Thus, vertical reciprocation of the guide bracket and plate relative to the cylinder in response to movement of the piston rod is permitted. Arms 23 extend rearwardly from the plate-like portion on opposite sides of the cylinder and carry a roller guide 24 which engages with the side of the cylinder away from the tank.

The plate-like portion also carries a rod or pipe 25 which extends downwardly opposite the piston rod between the cylinder and the side of the tank. The end of the rod 25 extends downwardly inside of a pair of channel members26 and 27 which are attached to the cylinder. The inner channel member 26 has flanges 28 which extend outwardly therefrom in opposing spaced relation to flanges 29 which extend inwardly from the outer channel member 27 to form spaced tracks or guides.

The rod 25 carries a bracket 30 at its lower end. The bracket has two forwardly extending arms which carry a shaft 31 extending transversely between the tracks formed by the flanges on the channel members. Wheels 32 carried at the ends of the shaft are confined between the opposing flanges of the channel members and run in the track formed thereby. In this arrangement, the roller 24 which engages with the rear of the cylinder and the wheels 32 which engage ,with the flanges of the channel members are spaced apart and resist any force which would tend to cock or cant the piston rod away from movement in a vertical path. Thus, vertical movement of the guide bracket and plate in response to movement of the piston rod is assured regardless of load conditions.

The rod carried by the guide bracket and plate also carries a horizontal arm 33 which extends through openings in the channel members at a point above the tank to .a point inside the walls of the tank. The arm carries a downwardly extending member 34 which in turn carries a wirev basket 35 or other suitable container for 'the parts which are to be cleaned. The basket 35 is immersed in the liquid cleaning solution in the tank and is reciprocated vertically therein so as to agitate the parts in the cleaning solution in conjunction with reciprocation of the piston and piston rod.

As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, other arrangements for supporting the parts to be cleaned can be employed. For example, the wire basket may be suspended by cables 36 from the horizontal arm 33, as shown in Fig. 4, or the basket may be attached to a section of carrier rail 37 which is suspended from the horizontal arm, as shown in Fig. 5. 'If desired, the rod or pipe 25 may be immersed in the cleaning solution with a platform 38 attached thereto, as shown in Fig. 6.

Clamps 39 which are carried by a cross-piece 40 secured to the outer channel member rest on the top edge of the side walls of the tank and engage therewith to hold the cleaning unit in position on the outside of the In addition, a bracket 41 carried by the outer channel member at the lower end thereof engages with the side of the tank and positions the cylinder and other parts of the cleaning apparatus in an upright or vertical position. A strap 42 attached to the bracket 41 surrounds the tank and prevents the cleaning unit from 3 tipping or pivoting on the clamps when the basket is loaded. 1

It will be apparent from this, that the entire cleaning apparatus can be readily removed as a unit from a given tank by merely loosening the clamps and can be readily transported to and placed on a different-tank as desired. In addition, the cleaning apparatus can be readily used in conjunction with existing tanks and it is not necessary to install special cleaning tanks which is costly.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the particular embodiments or the invention which have been described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the claims attached hereto.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for cleaning industrial parts of the type having a vertically extending cylinder with a vertically reciprocable piston mounted therein and a piston rod connected to said piston, the improvement which comprises a guide bracket and plate carried by said piston rod said guide bracket and plate including an arm extending through a slot in the cylinder and connected to the piston rod, said plate having arms extending on opposite sides of the cylinder, a guide roller carried by said arms and engaging with the cylinder opposite said slot, a member extending downwardly from said plate on a side of the cylinder opposite the side engaged by said roller, a cross member carried by said member at the lower end thereof, wheels carried by said cross member, guide means secured to the cylinder and engaging with said wheels for confining movement of the downwardly extending member in a vertical path, an arm for supporting a workpiece thereon connected to and extending outwardly from the guide bracket and plate and clamping means for detachably mounting said cylinder on the outside of a tank containing a liquid cleaning solution.

2. In an apparatus for cleaning industrial parts, the improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means for confining movement of the downwardly extending member to a vertical path includes an inner channel member and an outer channel member, said inner and outer channel members having oppositely disposed spaced flanges located on opposite sides of the wheels carried by the cross member.

3. In an apparatus for cleaning industrial parts, the improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the clamping means for detachably mounting the cylinder on the outside of a tank containing a liquid cleaning solution includes a pair of spaced clamps attached to the vertical cylinder, said clamps being positioned to extend over and engage with the top edge of the tank containing the liquid cleaning solution.

4. In a portable apparatus for cleaning industrial parts, the combination of a vertical cylinder, a vertically reciprocable piston mounted in said cylinder, a piston rod connected to said piston and extending upwardly in the cylinder, a guide bracket and plate connected to the piston rod at one end thereof, said guide bracket and plate including an arm extending through a vertically extending slot in the cylinder and spaced arms extending on opposite sides of the cylinder, a guide roller carried by the spaced arms and engaging with the cylinder on a side opposite jthe slot therein, a set of guide tracks attached to the cylinder beneath the slot and extending vertically beneath the supporting plate, a member carried by and extending downwardly from the supporting plate adjacent said tracks, roller means carried by said member and engaging with the guide tracks whereby movement of the moving parts is confined to a vertical path and means for supporting a workpiece connected to the guide bracket and plate for movement therewith.

5. In a portable apparatus for cleaning industrial parts, the combination as defined in claim 4 which includes clamping means carried by the cylinder for detachably mounting the cylinder on the outside of a tank containing a liquid cleaning solution.

6. In a portable apparatus for cleaning industrial parts, the combination as defined in claim 4 wherein the guide tracks comprise an inner channel member and an outer channel member secured to the cylinder, said channel members having opposing spaced flanges extending vertically and defining tracks.

7. In an apparatus for cleaning industrial parts of the type having a vertically extending cylinder with a vertically reciprocable piston mounted therein and a piston rod connected to said piston, the improvement which comprises a guide bracket and plate connected to the piston rod, said guide bracket and plate being vertically reciprocable with the piston rod and comprising a plate-like portion located on the outside of the cylinder, an arm extending through a slot in the cylinder and connecting the plate-like portion to the piston rod, arms extending rearwardly from the plate=like portion on opposite sides of the cylinder and a guide roller carried by said arms and engaging with the cylinder opposite said slot; a member extending downwardly from the plate-like portion of the guide bracket and plate, said memberbeing spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of the cylinder, guide means carried by the cylinder and engaging with the lower end of the downwardly extending member at a point spaced from the point at which the guide roller engages with the cylinder; and means for supporting a workpiece connected to the vertically reciprocable guide bracket and plate, said means including an arm extending outwardly at an angle with respect to the axis of the cylinder.

8. In an apparatus for cleaningindustrial parts of the type having a vertically extending cylinder with a vertically reciprocable piston mounted therein and a piston rod connected to said piston, the improvement which comprises a guide bracket and plate connected to the piston rod, said guide bracket and plate being vertically reciprocable with the piston rod and comprising a plate-like portion located on the outside of the cylinder, an arm extending through a slot in the cylinder and connecting the plate-like portion to the piston rod, arms extending rearwardly from the plate-like portion on opposite sides of the cylinder and a guide roller carried by said arms and engaging with the cylinder opposite said slot; a member extending downwardly from the plate-like portion of the guide bracket and plate, said member being spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of the cylinder, guide means carried by the cylinder and engaging with the lower end of the downwardly extending member at a point spaced from the point at which the guide roller engages with the cylinder; means for supporting a workpiece connected to the vertically reciprocable guide bracket and plate, said means including an arm extending outwardly at an angle with respect to the axis of the cylinder; and clamping means connected to the cylinder for mounting the cylinder in a fixed position on a tank containing a liquid cleaning agent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

